The Dark Age Chronicles: The Fall of Night.

Summary: For ten years the Land of Cysia has been under the rule of the dark Lord Lyficen. But his time has come to an end. The Griffin of Legend has come and together with his rider they will save their home.

The Beginning of Darkness.

A cold wind blew in from the
south west. A loud wail rose with it. Like a woman in great pain. The wail grew
loud with each passing moment as the wind rushed along the barren slopes of the
Syphen Mountains. The claws of wind raked loose rocks off the mountain and side
and sent then clattering to the black base of the mountain. The night was still
young, yet the sky was wreathed in a blackness that was not natural. An
oppressive darkness that the very wind despised. The wind rushed over the
slopes, dragging itself ragged across grassy meadows and on through the forest
of Behrud and Giril. It rose laboriously over the central range of mountains
called the Krogas. The shrill cry of the wind was now so loud that the
creatures of the night hid from it. Men locked their windows and tried to stop
their ears. And still on the wind drove itself, till it finally crossed the
Krogas and entered the Waste Plains of Writhia.

A dragon rose with graceful
ease and blotted out the moon with its great body. The massive chest of the
beast rose and swelled. Suddenly a jet of flame, red and furious, streamed from
its open mouth down onto the plains. The cry of the wind was lost here. Cries
that were uttered here could be heard miles away. For it was here that the
great Darkness emanated. It was here that it was being fought. The flames of
the Dragon poured down onto the teeming throng of armour clad bodies below. The
heat of the flames melted the armour of those that were in the direct path of
the deadly outburst before the fire ever reached them. Their cries echoed
thousands of others as their bodies disintegrated in the fire. Their comrades
allowed themselves a brief moment of horror then forced themselves to turn away
from the spectacle of death to face the new ones before them.

The sky above the clashing
armies was scattered with flying beasts and red with smoke. The moon seemed to
have been turned to blood. It cast a dull glow on the warring Griffins and
Dragons below. A dragon dived though a cloud of smoke and never came out of it.
A griffin flew out of the cloud its talons dripping with blood. Another Griffin
and its Rider flew spirals around a Dragon; the Griffin Rider slashing with lightning
speed and sharp accuracy at the Dragon Rider. His Griffin simultaneously
striking at the vulnerable underbelly of the Dragon. Both Rider and Griffin
screamed in victory as the Dragon and Rider, feel dead, out of the sky. Another
Griffin, with half of its rider on its back, was being torn to pieces by two
Dragons. The beast put up a valiant fight until its wings were torn from its
body, and it fell headlong into the sea of flashing steel below.

The noise of the battle was
deafening as steel rang against steel. The blood splattered men shouted louder
than the ring of their blades and all were standing ankle deep in soil soaked
in the blood of their fallen comrades. The blood flowing from their own wounds
added to it. They stepped on the bodies of those who had fallen, driving the corpses
deep into the soils of the Waste Plains. Many men drove steel into the hearts
of others. Many men fought in a blind rage, oblivious to the world around them.
Many men saw their own limbs severed before them. Many men fell to the ground
and never rose again.

King Lyficen sat astride his
Dragon on the mountain range of the North called Valas; meaning Leader in a
tongue that was forgotten; as a lord that stands on the edge of his territory.
His amber eyes took in the scenes of carnage that took place before him. On his
face was a smile. His black armor was tinted red every time his Dragons shot
flame. His own Dragon shifted below him and he sensed its impatience. His smile
widened; he responded to it and calmed the Beast by a pat of his hand. Every
one of his Dragons’ scales were inscribed with silver runes, so that the black
dragon seemed to glow in the dark. Lyficen’s armor was the same. It kept him
safe from all spells. He sat confidently on his dragon awaiting the outcome of
the war that he had begun.

Queen Syria of the Land of
Cysia looked on at the war below with a sick heart. She stood beside her
Girffin and the Beast stood quite still. But Syria could feel the tense muscles
under the fur and feather. From their stronghold in the Nycos Mountains, opposite
to the Valas, she could see Lyficen sitting there. He glowed like star in the
night, but he brought darkness to her land and she was determined to stop him.
The smell from the plain rose like an invisible sheet and covered them all. It
made her want to retch. It was not her first war but she had never gotten used
to the stench of Death. Her eyes kept flickering toward the Krogas. It was from
there that she expected help if things began to go sour, but it did not seem as
though she would need it. The Dragons numbers were vastly diminishing, so was
Lyficen’s Ground force. Syria smiled. Lyficen would not win this one.

Lyficen’s aide fidgeted at
his post. He watched his lord sit in confidence while their armies were being
decimated. Their Dragon’s numbers were pitifully small. ‘The fool! The aide thought, ‘does
he not see! Something has to be done to salvage this impending defeat!’

“My Lord” he said, with a
boldness he did not feel, “Shall we retreat?” Lyficen turned around in his sear
and fixed his gaze upon the aide. The evil that emanated from the man drove a
cold spike of fear into the aide’s heart.

“Retreat?” he asked his
voice chilling the blood of all those that stood there, “why?”

The aide was too passionate
about the situation to be daunted, “We are being destroyed!”

Lyficen smiled at him as one
would smile at a stupid child. He turned away and dismounted his Dragon. The
beast shook itself.

“Come here,” he said in a
condescending tone. The aide hesitated and then walked stiffly to Lyficen.
Lyficen placed an arm around the man’s shoulders. “What do you see?” he asked
pointing to the plains below. The aide was aware of the sharp fingers of
Lyficen’s metal gloves.

“You see defeat?” he asked,
“I see victory.’ With that Lyficen raised his hand to the south.

The aide turned his head to
look. There was a dark cloud moving swiftly from the south. At that distance he
could not make out what it was. Queen Syria also spotted the cloud. A fear grew
in her mind. It could not be. He had orders! What was he doing? Lyficen smiled
and chuckled to himself as the cloud grew into a shape. They were flying
beasts. A Griffin was at the head of them. The Beast entered the Plains. The
Griffin sent a cry and the Army of Cysia lifted their heads in greeting and
froze in horror. Many that froze were immediately cut down. For behind the
Griffin flew a horde of dragons.

Syria stood with her mouth
open. It could not be! One of her own! The Griffin Rider circled the skies
smiling. Lyficen laughed and turned to the aide, “There is my victory.”

“But how?” the aide
stammered.

‘I blinded his eyes,”
Lyficen said, “The fool. Let him see what he has done.” With a raise of his
hand he said a few words and suddenly the Griffin Rider seemed to jerk out of a
trance. He gazed about him in horror as the truth dawned on him. His eyes
glanced around frantically then rested on Lyficen. It became contorted with
rage. Lyficen nodded.

“Come my Rider,” he
whispered. The Girffin Rider swung out his weapon and stirred his beast. They
flew toward Lyficen cutting down all in their path. As they gained ground they
flew faster. Lyficen pushed away the aide and raised his hand again. The
Griffin Rider raised his blade and with a rush came down upon Lyficen. Suddenly
he stopped as though he struck a stone wall. His griffin pitched away into the
Waste Plains, unconscious. And he fell at Lyficen’s feet.

He tried to rise but Lyficen
crushed his head into the earth with his boot. Blood poured when he moved it.
Lyficen grabbed a hand full of hair and spun the man around to face the Plains.
He drove his gloved hand into the man’s back. The Rider cried out in agony.

“See what you have done!”
Lyficen hissed, “You have given me my victory.’ The man remained silent but
slipped a knife out of his belt. Lyficen spun the man around by his hair again.
The man groaned.

“Now you will die,” Lyficen
said. The man smiled and in a rush pulled away and drove his knife into
Lyficen’s face. The blade went in deep to the hilt but Lyficen stood there as
though nothing happened. He pulled the
blade out and the wound resealed itself. The Rider stared in horror. Lyficen
sighed and drove his hand into the man’s stomach. The man lurched forward.
Lyficen grabbed him and held him still as he twisted the metal hand. The man
choked in agony.

“You have brought a great
curse on your land by trying to kill me,” Lyficen whispered to him, “I would
have settled for the death of all your griffins here but now you have sealed
your land with a greater doom. Know this Griffin Rider and die. For all the
land will curse your name.”

The man sank forward and
Lyficen tossed the corpse aside. He raised both hands and began to chant, his
voice rung loud and clear. And when he was done he turned his back to the Waste
Plains and called for a retreat. It was sent and his army withdrew. As they marched
away they could hear the dying screams of Griffins as their Riders killed them
and the sound of steel upon steel as the Army of Cysia slaughtered itself.

Marijana1:
The melancholy present throughout this story has the power to influence and etch into the minds of the readers, to stay there and refuse to leave even after they have finished reading the story. This is a deep, powerful story, making the readers wonder about everything – about love, about their e...

NancyRichFoster:
This second book of the Anmah Series was as awesome as the first story, I disagree with spare runner. The names were ordinary names with different spellings, which I for one loved. I am now going to read the third book in this amazingly awesome story!

Lauren Kabanyana:
It's simply amazing, the story is touching and has you captivated while reading! I loved it! Would read it over and over again. I applaud the way this book was able to evoke a mixture of feelings. I felt everything the two main characters felt from the start to end, i would recommend this novel t...

Kevin Brand:
My overall rating: 4.8/5 starsLoved. Every. Second. Everytime I came back to continue reading I got this overwhelming feeling of getting hooked on the first sentence... Over and over and again!The only things that were missing for me include more descriptions on what happens when Reuben touches s...

aoifecollopy22:
I loved how the author had the conflict come back later in the story. Also how they passed time without going over anything. That really helped move the story along. This kept my up for a few hours. YOU SHOULD READ THIS

Warren Bull:
I thought this was a fast=paced thriller with elements of several other genres woven seamlessly in. It hooked me early and held my attention throughout. I liked the humor and surprises along the way. I really enjoyed the novel. I am not a big fan of romances or paranormal works,but when those ele...

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